Malkeru of the Leaf
by Malkeru
Summary: Two hundred years after the Naruto's defeat of Obito and Madara, and his decree that the tailed beast shall be freed, the villages lust for power takes over again. They have begun to hunt, capture, and seal the Bijuu, ushering in a new era of Jinchuriki, and a new era of war...
1. Chapter 1: The Sealing

**(A/N: This is chapter one of my story, what you read before this was simply a preview, the actualy chapter only has 2-3 more paragraphs, so if you read the preview, just skip to the bottom.)**

Two hundred years ago, Naruto Uzumaki, the savior of the world, master of the Rasengan, the orange flash of Konoha, defeated Madara and Obito Uchiha, evil men who wielded the power of the Juubi in a wicked plan to place the world under a genjutsu, keeping them under their control. The battle was long and hard, and cost the lives of many great shinobi from all the nations. After the battle, Naruto was made Hokage, the leader of the Village hidden the in leaves, also called Konoha. One of his first acts as Hokage was to free the Bijuu, the tailed beast that were captured and put inside human host known as Jinchuriki, as soon as their host had passed away.

One hundred and forty years has passed since Naruto died, freeing the Kyuubi from its seal inside Naruto, and human-bijuu relations have been peaceful. The Bijuu ignore the humans, and the humans ignore the Bijuu. But Humans are evil creatures, full of a malicious lust for power, the power hidden inside the Bijuu, their massive chakra reserves. Years after Naruto's passing the villages began hunting the Bijuu again, creating the next generation of Jinchuriki. For although the world was at peace, no one expected it to last.

One by one, the Bijuu were hunted down, captured, and sealed inside shinobi host from prominent clans, believing that strong blood lines were the only way to control the Bijuu as Naurto had controlled the Kyuubi. It took many years, but it was finally down to just one Bijuu, the Kyuubi, the most powerful of all the Bijuu. The demonic fox was not only crafty, but powerful, more powerful than any shinobi in exsistance. The Kyuubi had one weakness however, the Sharingan, the Kekkei Genkei of the Uchiha Clan. The Uchiha clan, which had been decimated after the massacre by the hands of Itachi Uchiha, was finally back and established in the help of this powerful Dojutsu, Konoha was finally able to capture the malevolent chakra spirit, sealing it inside a vase until they could find a suitable host.

Hours later, the officials of Konoha and the Hokage met in secret, all wearing large black cloaks that covered their body and hid their face from view. The room they met in was in the far outskirts of Konoha, near the entrance to the Uchiha complex. It was a small room, completely bare save for a bookshelf of sealing scrolls on the back wall. The first man to speak was tall, a red glow piercing the darkness of his hooded face.

"I still don't understand why I can't have the power of the Kyuubi!" The man roared, the red glow from behind his hood growing with his frustration. "It was MY Sharingan that tamed the damned beast and allowed your sealing corps to capture it! I deserve the power!"

"Kenshi, watch your tone with me!" A woman spoke this time, her voice was stern and powerful, it held authority behind it. "If you don't watch your tongue when talking to me I will take it!" The woman raised her hand and brought it down in a slashing motion in emphasis. "I've told you already, a Bijuu must be sealed in a child, the chakra has to grow with their body."

"It is known," Another man spoke from behind the woman. The man sounded old, frail almost, with a voice that held knowledge and wisdom in it. "Not to mention, the common people must not know about the mission we undertook this night. Naruto is still loved, and for us to disobey his one dying wish, well, it could very well start a revolt."

"Fine," Kenshi grumbled, "But where will we put the Kyuubi, the seal on that vase will not hold it for long, we need a suitable host, and we need it now."

The whole room nodded, agreeing with the angry Kenshi. Two hooded figures stepped forward, bowing to the woman figure who had spoken earlier.

"Hokage-sama," The first figure spoke, "We got just such a vessel today at the orphanage, an Uchiha babe, no parents, and no more than five months old."

"Yes, yes," The second figure said in agreeance. "Their chakra levels are already very high as well, they would be the perfect host for the Kyuubi."

"Hmmm," The female Hokage pondered for a moment, "You say he is parentless, yes? Is their any record of him every existing? Hospital records, prenatal checkups? Anything?"

"Nothing," The second figure said, "Not even we know anything about him except for the Uchiha crest necklace that was around his crib, and a name. Malkeru."

"It's only fitting my clan gets the Kyuubi," Kenshi said, "We are the reason you were able to capture it after all."

"I hate to say it Hokage-sama," Another female spoke from the back, "But even the Hyuuga clan agrees with him, the Sharingan would be a very powerful tool for controlling the chakra of the beast, and wasn't that the whole reason for this mission?"

The hokage nodded while the Hyuuga woman spoke, "Very well, bring this...'Malkeru' to the altar, we shall seal him at once."

"Are you absolutely sure?" The first orphanage worker spoke, "What if the seal doesn't take? What will become of this child?"

"Never question me," The Hokage spoke fiercely, "I am an Uzumaki, my great great grandfather was the Jinchuriki of the Kyuubi, and I will use his very seal on this boy." The hokage paused for a second before going on, the shadows not giving away any signs of her face, "And if the boy doesn't make it well...that's why we had to be sure there were no records of him."

The room grew silent, the grim nature of what they were about to try finally dawning on them. The Hokage left first, she seemed to be in a huff as she stormed towards the altar they had hidden deep in the woods outside of Konoha, far from peering eyes of the civilians and unauthorized Shinobi. She walked quickly, without hesitation, a cold fury burning in her eyes.

In her head she ran over the sealing matrix, the hand signs she would have to make, the exact chakra control she needed to exert, every minute detail ran through her mind at a million miles an hour, filling her every thought. She pinched the bridge of her nose, attempting to clear the small migraine that was forming at the back of her head.

As she passed tree after tree she felt regret clenching at her, what was she about to do to this child? What kind of life was she about to put this poor boy through? These thoughts were quickly pushed away by the greater good of the village, she knew the power the Kyuubi held, she had read the scrolls about the kind of power that Naruto Uzumaki could unleash when he tapped into it's massive chakra reserves. Imagine what an Uchiha could do with that kind of power, a Sharingan tapped into a Bijuu was unthinkable, unimaginable. She stopped a second, leaning on a tree as a wave of anxiety flowed over her, making her breathing sparse and her eyes widen. Taking a deep breathe she continued her journey, the altar just ahead.

It was a simple altar, a stone tablet just large enough for a child to fit on, with several smaller tablets with candles surrounding it. Sitting in front of the largest tablet, the Hokage removed several scrolls, brushes, and inks from her robe, placing them neatly in front of her. She unraveled the largest scroll, a sealing matrix she had prepared before hand was on the crisp new paper. With her ink she began to add to the matrix, accounting for the child's future dojutsu, and adding another layer to the seal, a layer that would prevent communication with the Kyuubi until the boy had grown a proper age, she didn't need the Kyuubi talking him into releasing the seal, not at first at least.

From behind her Kenshi appeared, a small bundle in his arms. In the bundle was a baby boy, he had charcoal eyes, and dark, jet black hair atop his head. The boy was rather cute, at least to the Hokage, and was fast asleep. She wondered if he would still be asleep if he knew what was about to happen to him.

"Place him on the altar." The hokage said grimly. "We must being the preparations at once. As Kenshi laid the small child on the altar, the Hokage began to write on him, scribbling Kanji and sealing incredibly complex and intricate sealing matrix's. She worked slowly and carefully, one mistake, one twitch of one finger could sentence this boy to death, or worse. As she scribbled she hummed to the boy, an old Uzumaki lullaby her grandma use to sing to her.

"Are you...are you seriously humming to the vessel?" Kenshi said, flabbergasted. He had never seen the Hokage so, so, motherly.

"Tsk," The Hokage growled out, "I'm trying to keep the boy quiet, if he moves it could ruin the seal and our entire mission." She began to hum again, a slow, melodic tune, and the boy seemed to receive it well, even letting out a contended sigh before falling back asleep.

"Heh, I think he likes you." Kenshi joked with the Hokage, his crimson eyes glowing brighter as he laughed. Behind him, a tree branch snapped, making hardly more noise than whisper, not audible to most people, but, Kenshi was not most people. His body tensed, and he shot around, turning his body quickly toward the noise, kunai drawn in each hand.

"S-s-sorry sir!" A Chunin called out, "W-we didn't mean to scare you, we're here with the p-package." the man managed to stutter out.

"Hnf." Kenshi scowled. "You didn't scare me, a true shinobi is always alert." Kenshi's eyes drifted to the vase the shinobi and his two cohorts were carrying. It was large, the size of a small horse, and the three men seemed to be struggling to carry it. Along the front, sides, and top of it was a very complex seal the likes of which Kenshi had neither seen before, nor understood, nor did he really care to. The Uzumaki's could have their little seals, he would take his Sharingan any day. "Well, what are you waiting for!" Kenshi growled. "Next to the vessel, now!"

"Y-y-yes S-sir!" The three men said in near unison, stumbling over their fear and the pure weight of the parcel in their hands. The three men quickly crossed the distance between them and the altar, laying the vase down gently, as if it were made of crystal, next to the sleeping boy.

"Now leave." Kenshi ordered, "And never speak of this event." The three men trembled before the fearsome Uchiha before bowing and quickly body flickering from the sight of his Sharingan. When they were gone, Kenshi let a small sigh escape him. The transportation of the Kyuubi had been the part of the plan he most feared would fail, leaving such an important task to three Chunin, whose idea was that? In the back of his mind he knew though, they were all Uzumaki and possessed a natural affinity with Fuuinjutsu, they were the best choice for this job, whether he liked it or not.

"Now..just add this..and this seal...account for the fusion of chakra.." the Hokage was muttering to herself as she furiously connected the boy and the vase, creating a long chain of Kanji down the altar, onto the ground, and up to the top of the vase itself. When she finished, she laid down her brush, taking a deep breath and examining her work. To her highly trained eyes, the seal looked perfect, there was not a single flaw she could find in her work. Anxiously she brought her hands together into the snake sign, pausing a moment to gather her thoughts and mold her chakra. Quickly her hands moved, a blur to all but the quickest of eyes. She ran through the One-hundred and forty-seven sign seal as she had done a thousand times in preparation for this evening.

As she performed the signs needed to begin the sealing ritual, Kenshi nervously fidgeted behind her, something he hadn't done since he was a small child. His mouth was dry, his eyes wide with anticipation, if this worked the Uchiha clan would have a very powerful Jinchuiki under their influence. And if it failed, well, there was no record of this boy every existing, was there? As the Hokage drew her hand into the final sign, the sign of the Horse, Kenshi's eyes drew tight, focused, he wanted to see everything that was about to happen, he wanted to know how to fix any mistakes that may happen.

"Fuuinjutsu:.." The Hokage began, raising her hands over the infants stomach, sweat running down her brow and falling off her chin. "Hakke no Fūin Shiki!" She roared, thrusting eight of her fingers into the boys abdominal region.

Immediately the boy began to cry, screeching loudly from the massive pain in his stomach. From the vase a terrible, evil, red chakra began to flow from the top, following the line of Kanji up the altar into the small Uchiha. From the vase an evil, sinister laugh could be heard, shaking the Hokage and Kenshi to their core.

"**AI UZUMAKI!**" The deep maniacal voice roared from inside the vase, "**YOU DARE TO BREAK THE SIXTH HOKAGE'S LAWS AND SEAL ME, THE KYUUBI, INTO ANOTHER VESSEL!?"**

** "**It speaks?!" Kenshi yelled to the Ai, fear in his voice. "Seal it quicker!"

"I'm trying!" Ai yelled back, her fury over taking her terror. Closing her eyes she focused harder on her Chakra, forcing every ounce of it up through his chakra network and into her hands.

"**FOOLS!**" The Kyuubi laughed at the pair of shinobi, "**YOU ARE NO MINATO NAMIKAZE, NOR ARE YOU KUSHINA UZUMKAI!** **THIS SEALING WILL FAIL AND THEN I WILL HAVE THE LEAF VILLAGE, NARUTO BE DAMNED!**" With these words the Vase shattered, sending shards of hardened glass flying in all directions. From the remnants of the vase, the remaining amount of the Kyuubi's chakra began to manifest and form, first into a head, with two evil red eyes, then the body began to form. Legs shot out from the chakra body, ending in wicked claws that looked as if they could cut through diamond. The final thing to form was the tails, nine large, sweeping tails, at full size capable of knocking down mountains or destroying entire villages. When the transformation was done, the Kyuubi looked a miniature version of himself, a little bit larger than Kenshi who stood at 6'1.

"Kenshi!" Ai yelled to him, focusing deeply on the sealing ritual. "Your Sharingan!"

"R-right!" Kenshi yelled back, snapping out of his confusion. He quickly raised a hand to remove his hood, revealing his shoulder length black hair and strong angular jaw, a typical Uchiha. Kenshi closed his eyes, allowing the chakra to build up in them for his genjutsu.

"Kenshi it's almost formed!" Ai yelled.

"THIS TAKES SOME TIME!" Kenshi yelled back, shooting his eyes open, his three tomoe morphing and evolving into his Mangekyo Sharingan.

"**NO! THOSE EYES!" **The Kyuubi growled "**YOU DAMNED UCHIHA!"** The Kyuubi dropped to his knees, only able to watch as the last remainder of his Chakra was slowly sucked into the small infant Uchiha. "**I will have your head for this...**" The Kyuubi quietly growls, giving up all resistance. And like that, it was over, the Kyuubi was sealed into the boy, a spiral with Kanji surrounding it appearing over his abdomen.

"Is...is that it?" Kenshi asked, amazed at what they had just accomplished. The boy was still screaming, yelling out in pain and fear, so Kenshi knew he was alive, but, had they really done it? Did they really just seal the most powerful Bijuu in all existence?

"Yes.." The Hokage said, collapsing to her knees, nearly devoid of chakra. "It's done, the boy now has the Kyuubi inside of him, he is a Jinchuriki."

A wicked smile grew onto Kenshi's face, and before he knew it, he was laughing. Not a nervous laugh, not a funny laugh, just a laugh. "Finally, the Uchiha has a Jinchuriki!" he said in midst of his fit of hysterical laughter.

"No." The Hokage said firmly, raising to her feet. "The boy will have no clan, he will be put under the care of the Konoha orphanage until he is of age to attend the academy, and then we will give him the usual allowance given to orphan academy students. He will not be influenced by any clans, is that understood?"

Kenshi looked onto the Hokage with eyes full of hatred, eyes full of the lust of power found deep inside every human. "You bitch, you promised the Uchiha clan the Jinchuriki if we captured the Kyuubi for you!"

"And you have a Jinchuriki, as you said." The Hokage responded, scooping up the boy, rocking him to try and stop his crying. "The boy has Uchiha blood, but he shall not bear your name, he shall take the last name of all clanless orphans, Leaf."

"Do you really think I'm going to let you just walk out of here with him?" Kenshi asked, his Mangekyo Sharingan flaring. "I could kill you now and no one would be the wiser, maybe something went wrong with the sealing..."

Before Kenshi could react, the Hokage was in front of him, two fingers on his brow. "Tensha Fuuin." The Hokage whispered. Black ink spread from her fingers, dipping deep into Kenshi's eyes, causing him to drop to the ground, howling like an animal in pain.

"WHAT HAVE YOU DONE!" He yelled, ripping at his eyes, attempting to free it of any of the ink that stained and burned his pupils.

"I sealed your Sharingan," The hokage responded calmly, turning to leave with the newly sealed Jinchuriki. "If you ever use them on me again, your Amaterasu will activate, burning you alive with those black flames you love so much." As she spoke a small smile crept onto her hidden face. "Did you really think I would ask for your help before having an ace up my sleeve? Come now Kenshi, I'm not Hokage for no reason."

"You cunt.." Kenshi muttered, holding his face in the fetal position as the Uzumaki Hokage walked away from him, towards the bright lights of Konoha. "You'll pay...someday, I will make you pay for this treachery.."

The Hokage ignored him, holding the infant in her arms as a mother would hold her own child. "I am so sorry.." she whispered to the boy, "But you really are the only option, I hope someday you can forgive me for what I had to do to you.." from beneath her hood, a single tear ran down her cheek, hanging for a moment on her chin before falling and straining her black ensemble.


	2. Chapter 2: Beastly Ways

Fourteen years had passed since that night, since the night the Hokage had sealed the Kyuubi into the infant Malkeru Leaf, fourteen years since she had sentenced him to a life of suffering, loneliness, and agonizing physical abuse from a village who despised him for who he was. It wasn't the fact that he was a Jinchuriki that they despised him, the whole world had become much more accepting of Jinchuriki's after Naruto proved the demon inside of you didn't make you a monster. No, they hated him for a much more simpler, primal reason. They hated him because he existed.

He was everything Naruto had pushed to stop, a prison for a, unless provoked, peaceful, albeit very powerful, being. They saw Malkeru as nothing more than an abomination that their beloved hero, their shining orange flash of Konoha, had tried to put an end to. They saw him as a weapon that would bring about an end to the two hundred year 'peace' that had existed between the five great nations. Although everyone knew that peace was a lie, shinobi villages still existed, they still churned out ninja, and they still took on missions. Because even though their were no conflicts between the nations, rogue shinobi, bandits, and other nefarious beings still existed, and they still tried to get whatever they wanted in the easiest way possible, by taking it.

Even though the Hokage, and her council members, and thought that the secret of Malkeru would stay, well, a secret, they forgot about one simple thing. Humans, no matter how terrible a secret they hold, love to gossip. Not even two years after the sealing, the whole village knew, and as soon as Malkeru started the academy, he knew as well. His first day of the academy, what was suppose to be the happiest day of his life, the first day he would finally be free of the orphanage and able to live on his own, was the exact opposite. That was the first day Malkeru nearly died, a student jamming a kunai into his clavicle, barely missing his jugular vein. The doctors said it was a miracle he was alive, that there was no way his wound should have healed that fast, apparently they didn't know the powers of the Kyuubi.

Two days after that, when Malkeru was finally released from the hospital and allowed to resume classes, that was when he found out, found out the ugly truth about himself. It was a Hyuuga boy who told him, after of course he and four of his friends beat Malkeru senseless in an attempt to free the Bijuu inside of him. That was the first time Malkeru realized he was truly alone, that he would never have any friends. Perhaps if he had been spared the kids finding out, perhaps then he could truly have a friend. But, without friends, he did the one thing he could, he trained. He trained until he could stop the abuse from the other kids. Day in and out, he broke his skin punching trees, he spent late nights sneaking into the jutsu library to study, he practiced his Taijutsu katas until his muscles ached and he couldn't move. But no matter what he did, he still seemed to be behind.

Six years of the academy and it was finally time, fourteen year old Malkeru was finally able to graduate and be put on a Genin team. Malkeru rose from his twin bed slowly, eyes still foggy. He looked around his rather clean, one room apartment and let out a content sigh. It was rather bare, as he didn't own much. Against one wall was a television, with a couch in front of it, the very same ones that had been there when he had moved in. Against another wall was his bed, across the room from which was the entrance to the bathroom, which was next to his refrigerator and oven/stove combo.

Malkeru lowered his feet to the cold wood floor, a slight shiver running through his body. It was like this every morning, the cold morning wind ran in through the cracks in the foundation of his home, causing his floor to become icy to the touch. He quickly ran to the bathroom, the only space without wooden floors, and the only space to escape the cold cold grasp of the cool morning air.

Removing his pajama shirt, he took a second to look at his reflection in the old mirror above his sink. His upperbody was muscled, slightly more than a child his age should be, but, that's what training day in and out did for you. The same muscled body was riddled with bruises and welts, signs of both training, and the beatings the academy students were still able to put onto him. Sighing, he ran a hand through his jet black hair, letting it run all the way the through his shoulder length mane, stopping at the top, a spiky mess he could never conquer, despite his best efforts. Removing the rest of his attire he stepped into his warm shower, the one thing that he looked forward to every morning. He just stood leaning against the shower wall, one hand supporting his weight, for a while, letting the hot water run over his aching, sore, battered body. He watched a single drop as it started from his arm, running down the length of it onto his chest, from there it ran down onto his abdomen, and onto the swirling seal on his stomach. The seal. The reason Malkeru's life was like this. He silently swore at the tattoo, his eyes drawing into a tight scowl.

When his hot water tank had exhausted it's supply, and his water quickly turned into what felt like ice, he removed himself from the shower, drawing a towel around his lower body. The one thing Malkeru did love about his small, one bedroom apartment was, believe it or not, the size. After his morning shower, the steam filled his house, warming the floors and giving his whole home a warm, welcoming feeling. Malkeru let himself get a small smirk as he walked from his bathroom to his bed, kneeling to pull out the two drawers that fit snuggly under his bedframe. Inside were all the clothes he owned in the world, three pairs of black shinobi pants, and two black shirts, one with the Uzumaki swirl on it, which was a big symbol in Konoha and worn on most of the shinobi's clothing, and one with the Anbu symbol on it. Malkeru had no idea who had given him these clothes, they had just shown up on his doorstep one day. Which was quite fortunate for him, as none of the retailers in Konoha would sell to him.

Now dressed in his black pants and Uzumaki swirl shirt, he began to put together his gear, tying bandages around his right leg in preparation for his Kunai holster, and slipping his shuriken bag around his belt, sliding the small pouch to his rear. With his Shuriken holster secure Malkeru took one final look around, checking and double checking he didn't forget anything. The last thing he needed was to give the students, and some of the less professional teachers, a reason to mock him. Slowly, he slipped out of his door, locking it behind him. He took in a deep breath of the morning air, allowing it to fill his lungs. It was crisp, and smelled of pine and birch, a nice natural smell.

Walking down the stairs of his second story apartment he noticed the usual graffiti on his walls, 'Die fox die', 'No one wants you', so on and so forth. Malkeru just sighed, over the years he had stopped even bothering cleaning it up, the citizens of Konoha would do it for him when they wanted more room to write. He began to walk towards the academy, sticking to the back roads as often as he could, which was a great deal of the trip. The final leg of his trip consisted of him having to walk through the crowded marketplace however, which was always his least favorite part of the day. The name calling began immediately, the threats of violence and death followed shortly after. Malkeru just kept his head down, staring at the ground in front of him, trying to drown out the voices. A piece of rotten fruit hit Malkeru in the head, causing him to stutter step from the impact. He closed his eyes, holding back all the anger that had festered over the years.

He continued walking, ignoring the items and threats being thrown at him, keeping his head down all the way. This time, however, the mob decided it would follow him. Malkeru panicked, sure the mob had always made his mornings hell, but they had never followed him past the marketplace before! He began to run, pumping his legs as fast and hard as they would go.

"He's making a run for it! Get him!" One of the men in the mob called out. The mob took off, a giant charging sea of angry civilians and shinobi. Malkeru knew he could outrun the civilians, that wasn't a problem. The problem, was beating the Chuunin and Jonin rank shinobi to the academy, they were sure to catch him before he could see his one safe haven. Although Malkeru detested going to the academy every day, he knew he was safe there, at least from adults. The Academy was monitored by Anbu, after all, who were incredibly loyal to the Hokage. Malkeru didn't know how the Hokage felt about him, personally, but he knew she didn't want to lose her vessel, her shining prize if he ever learned to master the Kyuubi's powers.

In his rush Malkeru didn't even notice the blonde boy who was standing in the road, looking lost as he scratched his head reading some piece of paper.

"Shit!" Malkeru yelled as he collided with the boy and tripped, hitting the ground hard on his knees. "No no no no.." He continued to yell, but it was too late, the shinobi were already on him, grabbing him by the shoulders and hoisting him up.

"Well, we caught the fox, didn't we boys?" A man who appeared to be the leader of the trio of Chuunin who had grabbed him said. "What should we do with him now?"

"I don't know if you're blind or not dude, but that's not a fox, that's a boy." The blond boy said in response to the Chuunin, "From the lack of headband, but Kunai and Shuriken holster he's carrying, I'd guess he's an academy student, so, and this is just me guessing here, but you should probably put him down and go look for your lost fox." The boy said sarcastically.

"Why you little...who do you think you are?" The Chuunin leader demanded.

"I'm Strider, but that's not important. What's important is, I'm nearly late for class, and you're holding the one person who can show me where to go." The boy was wearing shades, so Malkeru couldn't read him at all, the only theing Malkeru could tell was that he had a blank expression on his face, as if he really didn't care about anything.

"I don't have time for you kid." The Chuunin went on, pulling a Kunai from the holster around his leg, "I got me a fox to skin."

"Let me go you teme!" Malkeru yelled, struggling against the two men who held him. It was no use though, as strong as Malkeru was, the two men were stronger.

Strider just looked at the man, or at least Malkeru assumed he did, his shades completely hid his eyes. "You know," Strider told the Chuunin. "That scar along your face is very distinctive, why, all of you have very distinctive marks about you, you've seen combat, haven't you?"

The three men looked at the boy funny, "What's it to you?" the leader asked him.

"Well," the boy continued, "I may now know the lay out of this city, but, from the way you're holding that boy, lifting his shirt up every so slightly, I can see the seal on his stomach. Only one type of person has a seal like that, a Jinchuriki." Malkeru looked down and the boy was right, his shirt was lifted up about six inches, showing off about an inch or two of his Eight Trigram Seal.

"Then you understand what we're doing," the leader of the group pointed at the road behind Strider. "Follow this road a quarter mile and turn right, follow that road to the academy. Now, get out of here before I lose my temper."

Strider just continued to look at the men, as uncaring as he was when the conversation began. "What I understand is, Hokages love powerful weapons in their arsenals, and what is more powerful than a Jinchuriki?" Strider asked the man, "I'll tell you, nothing. Wars have been fought over them." Strider removed his shades, showing brown eyes that seemed to be angry. "The one building that I do know in this maze of a town is the Hokage building, and what do you think she would say when I described the three Chuunin who were attempting to kill her...weapon."

The three men paled at the threat, "You wouldn't dare." all three seemed to say at once.

"Oh, but I would." Strider replied. "Now put him down."

At once the men ungracefully dropped Malkeru, sending him crashing to his knees. Malkeru dropped a hand to catch himself from completely falling before rising himself to his feet. "Thanks.." He muttered to the blonde boy before taking off again towards the academy.

"No...I don't wanna know how to get to the academy..." Strider said sarcastically, putting his glasses back on. "Quarter mile down this road, then a right..." he repeated to himself. The three Chuunin had taken off, leaving the mob without any real power, so it soon dispersed, no point in chasing after the boy, he would have to come this way right after the academy.

Malkeru ran at full speed, sweat pouring from his orifices, if he made it to the Academy before the three Chuunin decided killing him was worth the risk of dealing with the Hokage, he would be safe. Before Malkeru could even think, Strider was ahead of him again, standing in the middle of the road, blocking his patch once again.

"How in the.." Malkeru muttered, sliding to a stop feet away from Strider. His hand nervously slipped to the buckle on his kunai holster, ready for anything.

"You know, you're not that fast." Strider said, slipping his hands into his pockets. Malkeru finally took note of the boys apparel, he was wearing a white long sleeve shirt with red sleeves, on the chest of which was a red circle with a yellow lightning bolt in the middle. Malkeru assumed the yellow lightning bolt was suppose to be an S, for Strider. He wore blue shinobi pants and the same blue sandals all other academy students wore. "I'm surprised you were even able to out run those Chuunin."

Malkeru's eyes drew tight, he had no idea what Strider was up to, but he had learned long ago, no one was nice to him without an ulterior motive. Slowly, he unclasped his Kunai holster, his middle finger slipping into the round hole of one of the sharp knives.

"Come now," Strider said to Malkeru, his shades directed at Malkeru's hand that now held a Kunai, "Is it really necessary to draw a Kunai on the person who helped you?"

"No one helps me without a reason, and it never ends well for me.." Malkeru answered, the Kunai was fully withdrawn, in an offensive position.

Strider stood there for a second, a single eyebrow raised. "I guess you're right, I did have a reason for helping you, but, it's not a bad one." Strider turned and began walking down the road again, heading for the academy.

Malkeru was confused, the tension in his eyes eased, and he lowered his Kunai. "Not a bad reason.." He muttered to himself. Curiosity over took him and he followed Strider, walking beside the boy down the dirt road that led to the Academy grounds.

"Well, I guess you're interested." Strider said, a cool, collected look on his face. "So, why did I help you, that's the question you have for me, ya?"

"Ya.." Malkeru answered, still unsure about the boy.

"Well, we're more alike than you know." Strider responded.

"What do you mean?" Malkeru asked him, confused.

A small smirk spread to Strider's face, "Well if I just TOLD you, what would be the fun in that." Strider paused for a second to enjoy the confused look on Malkeru's face. "Just know, you're not alone, there are people like you."

"Like me?" Malkeru asked, his mind working on the puzzle. "Do you me-"

"Hey." Strider interrupted, further enjoying Malkeru's confusion. "That's the Academy huh? Pretty impressive."

Malkeru hadn't even noticed, but they had indeed reached the treed entrance of Konoha Academy, the massive three story building that all hopeful Shinobi attended. The third story, however, was used as nothing more than a watch station, the building being in a perfect location with a view of multiple entrances to Konoha. The building was square shaped, with the southern wall missing, instead leading to a giant courtyard that held sparring areas, a track, and an area to practice throwing of various ninja tools. On the southern end of the western wall was a round building that acted as the main entrance and where all students were required to check in before they went to class.

As they entered the small circular building Strider couldn't sense signs of stress on Malkeru's face, his eyes never focused on the woman behind the desk, they stayed dead on the sign-in sheet. The woman was the next thing that drew Strider's attention, or at least, her eyes were. Her eyes were drawn into a tight scowl, her pupils head a deep, unending hatred in them.

_ 'Woah, why do these guys hate Jinbro so much.'_ Strider silently thought to himself, using his new nickname for Malkeru.

"Oh, a new student!" The woman's mood and body language instantly changed, she again seemed like a caring, sensitive human being. "What's your name young man?"

"Strider." He answered cooly, "I'm here to take the exit exam."

"So am I," Malkeru said to Strider, keeping his eyes away drawn off of the woman. "But, don't you have to go through six years of Academy first?" Strider just smirked, keeping up his usual cool demeanor.

"I tested out, I'm a pretty fantastic shinobi ya'know?" Strider finished signing in, leading Malkeru down the hall towards their classroom. As they walked, Strider took close note of Malkeru's body language, trying to get to know more about with without talking. He wasn't his sister after all, talking wasn't cool.

Malkeru seemed to be tense, his face was tight, his eyes were constantly shifting around, watching. His hands were flexing, drawing into tight fist and relaxing constantly. His shoulders were drawn back and he looked ready to strike at any minute.

_ 'Woah, Jinbro looks aaaaaangry.'_ Strider said inside his head. _'He should definitely talk to Rose.'_ The two reached their classroom, the last room at the end of the hall, room 115. Inside was a normal classroom, not really what one would expect future shinobi to be training in.

At the front of the classroom was a podium, which was next to a long wooden desk, presumably where the teacher sat. Line in front of the desk was several rows of long, near room length desk, each row on a riser that elevated it above the row in front of it. The class was loud when they entered, young, excited shinobi chatting and gossiping about what they figured the test would be, passing on what older siblings had told them, and what they were going to do after the graduated.

Malkeru broke off from Strider, taking his usual seat at the back of the class, in a row by himself. His hands were crossed, his chin resting on his thumbs and the base of his nose laying across his fingers. He had an empty look on his face, he was just waiting, waiting for all of this to be over, to finally escape from these bastards who made his life hell.

Strider grimaced for a second before returning to his usual look of detached coolness. He took a seat in the middle of the class as a black haired woman in a Jonin outfit entered the room. Her eyes were red, and had black tomoe swirling around within it. Her name was Nui Uchiha, and she was the most feared academy teacher in Konoha. At the age of twelve, she graduated from the academy at the top of her class. At thirteen she had already made Chunin and was well on her way to Jonin, which she made by the age of fifteen. Now, at the age of twenty, she was considered one of the strongest shinobi in the village. It was even rumored she could go toe to toe with the Hokage.

To the students, however, she was the scariest thing they had ever seen. Every students biggest fear was that after the exam today, they would be called to her desk, and told that they were not approved to graduate.

"Silence." Nui said, barely above a whisper. It was enough though, the room instantly went devoid of any noise. "Good," she continued. "Now, we have a new student in the class for our exam, so, make him feel welcome and all that." Nui walked behind her desk, opening the top drawer. From inside of it she withdrew a clipboard and an ink pen, "Alright now, today, we're going to have some fun!" A sadistic smile grew on the woman's face, her Sharingan making her look more demon than human. "Usually you all have to take a written exam and then show us some basic jutsu in order to earn the headband you see me wearing. However, because of a certain special student," At this point, she looked right at Malkeru, causing him to sink into his seat. "I get to make a special exam this year! Doesn't that sound fun!"

A student in the back raised his hand, standing at the same time. "But we all prepared for a written test, we weren't given a chance to st-" A kunai flew by the students face, grazing his long hair and sticking into the wall behind him.

"Were you prepared for that?!" Nui asked excitedly, almost too excitedly. "In the field, there is no time to study, there is no time to prepare. You have to think on your feet, be ready for anything!" Nui began to climb the steps at the side of the class, eying up each of the students. "If this had been a mission, you would be dead now, that kunai would have hit you in the face and ended up inside of your skull. In case you didn't know, that kills you." She drew another Kunai, twirling it on her finger. "So, everyone outside, to the courtyard, we're going to have some fun today."

Row by row the class filed outside in a single file line, down the hall and outside into the courtyard. Walking past the small, quarter-mile track, the class gathered around a circular sparring ring, chattering quietly among themselves while the class finished filing in.

"Alright, alright." Nui said, looking at her clipboard. "For the exam today, we will be...SPARRING!" Nui's face lit up and she had a huge smile on her face. "Doesn't that sound fun class?!" the groans from the class were unanimous, but it didn't deter Nui what so ever. "Alright, alright, don't be babies. Now, for the first match..." Nui looked at the clipboard for a while, finally a smile spreading across her face. "Ohhhh, this will be a good one! Our first competitor will be...MALKERU LEAF!"

The muttering began immediately as Malkeru walked through the crowd, his head was down and his eyes avoiding contact. Pushing through the people he made his way through the crowd, ending up at the middle of the sparring ring. He took a deep breath, calming his nerves. This should be easy, right?

"This is gonna be a good match! So so good!" Nui was almost bouncing up and down at the prospect of this. "Next up is...CLAIS HONTANE!" Nui sounded like an announcer at some cheap fighting match, holding out the vowels of the competitor's names, and putting way too much excitement into it.

From the crowd Malkeru could see the blonde head of his competitor, one Clais Hontane, prince of Dakuraith. Dakuraith was a rather large village that no one could really ever find, though it was suspected it laid on the border of the land of fire. Dakuraith was a village without a standing military, and as such, relied on Konoha for the majority of it's protection. In return it sent them talented young boys and girls to reinforce Konoha's standing shinobi 'army'.

Clais was the top of the class, a prodigy in his clans Kekkei Genkei, Pyuarirīsu. This technique involves the generation and manipulation of 'pure' energy, a much more potent version of the chakra that flowed through all living beings. Pyuarirīsu has a variety of uses, from long range beam techniques, to spreading out as a shield in front of the user. Although Clais's experience in Pyuarirīsu was limited, he was incredibly efficient in what he could use.

Clais looked cocky and arrogant as he strolled to the sparring ring, the crowd parting to make way for him. The crowd was cheering for him, as if he was some hero for fighting Malkeru. Malkeru was starting to become unnerved as the cheering grew louder and louder, he swore he head someone scream 'kill the fox!' from the crowd.

"Looks like I get an easy exam this year." Clais said, looking Malkeru in the eyes. The two boys were roughly the same height, with Malkeru being about an inch or so taller. Clais's well taken care of dress shirt and shinobi pants were a sharp contrast to Malkeru's baggy T-shirt and pants. "I'm gonna destroy you fox boy, there's no way I'm letting orphan garbage like you become a shinobi."

Malkeru gritted his teeth, his eyes in a tight scowl. Clais had been talking to him like this all his life, ever since the two had met years ago at the park on the outskirts of Konoha. Clais had just arrived and wanted to show off his princehood as soon as possible, being the arrogant person he is, even back then. As soon as he found out Malkeru was from the orphanage, the teasing and abuse had started. The one redeeming factor about Clais in Malkeru's eyes, was that he really didn't care that he was a Jinchuriki, only that he didn't have a family or a social status.

"Don't be so sure, pretty boy." Malkeru said through his gritted teeth, it sounding more like a feral growl than his own voice.

"Ohhh, the fox comes out does it? Finally showing some balls Leaf? Good, you're gonna need that courage." Clais smiled while he said this. Malkeru had enough, he ran at Clais, punching him in the solar plexus. Clais doubled over his eyes were wide and oxygen rushed from his throat. Malkeru followed through, jamming the gap between his pointer and thumb into Clais's throat, sending him to a standing position again. Sliding his hand past his neck, Malkeru placed the palm of his hand on the back of Clais's head, pulling down and bringing his knee into the blonde's jaw.

"Ohhhhhh, we got some fighters!" Nui said outloud. "I didn't even say go yet but I like the ferocity! Let's watch kids!"

_'Wow, is this the same unconfident kid I met earlier?'_ Strider thought to himself, _'He's a totally different person right now.'_

Malkeru threw his foot behind Clais, stepping through and twisting his body to throw a punch at the back of his neck. Clais twisted his body, grabbing Malkeru's fist with his own. Bringing his back foot forward, he drove his hand into Malkeru's pit, twisting his upperbody to throw Malkeru to the ground.

"Nobody hits me.." Clais said, weaving hand signs. He spread out his hands, a small white orb of flashing energy forming between them. "Enjoy my Kekkei Genkei, loser. Pyuarirīsu: Ribenji no gifuto!" Clais twisted his left hand, the ball of energy following it. With his right, he gripped his left wrist. Slowly he brough his left arm back, sliding his right hand up to his bicep. Pushing off with his legs, he swung his arm around, looking to bring the ball of energy straight onto Malkeru's chest, which he did.

The energy tore and ripped at Malkeru, incinerating the skin and bone of his chest. Pieces of his shirt flew in every direction, leaving his bare chest exposed. The force of the energy caused the ground around Malkeru to crack, leaving slight fissures underneath him. Blood spurted from his mouth as the energy reached and cut his lungs. When all of the energy had finally dissipated Clais slowly removed his hand from what was left of Malkeru's chest, blood dripping from his hand onto Malkeru's black shirt. With a smirk Clais put his hands into his pockets, walking away from Malkeru without a second glance.

"Get a medic!" Nui called to the students, her eyes were wide with what appeared to be fear. "No no, the Hokage is going to kill me!" Nui was over top of Malkeru before she even finished her words, green energy glowed over her hands as she attempted to to heal Malkeru's...wound? Where was it? His shirt was ripped, and his blood was all over the ground, a fragment of his chest cavity was touching Nui's knee, but, there was no hole, there wasn't even a scratch on his bare chest.

"Clais." Malkeru called, much to the surprise of the whole class. The chatter was deafening as Malkeru slowly pushed himself to his knees, then to his feet, taking his time to regain his balance. "We're not done here...not yet.." Steam rolled from Malkeru's chest as he stared down Clais, giving him a very menacing look.

_'Ohhhh, is this Jinbro's Bijuu ability?' _Strider let a small smirk fall onto his face, _'That technique definitely should have killed him, how interesting.'_

"Well, well." Clais said, turning to face Malkeru and crossing his arms across his chest. "I was sure I hit you, even got your blood on my hand." Clais let out a little laugh, "You are an interesting one aren't you orphan boy?"

"I'll show you interesting." Malkeru was a totally different person now, an aura of confidence raidated from him, he seemed completely sure of himself. His hands were a blur as he weaved them through hand signs he had practiced a million times. As he lowered himself to one knee, he curved the fingers of his right hand, as if he was grabbing and clawing at a ball in his hand. His left hand came to grab his right wrist. Blue light began to spread across his lower arm, thining and forming into long jagged lines of light. The crackling came next, the blue light turning into lightning and running into his palm.

_'That can't be...can it?' _Nui asked herself, scratching at her chin in a thinking manner.

Clais looked around, scratching his head inquisitvely. What was that noise he was hearing? It sounded like..birds? Like the chirping of a lot of birds. _'What is this baka up to?'_

Malkeru's eyes were drawn into a tight scowl, his focus completely on the jutsu he was attempting. His hand was beginning to glow with a blue white lightning, crackling and chirping as it begin to condense and shape into a ball in his hands. The cracked ground around the ball of lightning begin to chip, rocks raising and falling around the condensed chakra in Malkeru's hands.

"Now..." Malkeru began, his speaking very harsh and forced.. **"DIE!"** Malkeru roared, pushing off from the cracked and torn ground beneath him. His vision blurred as he ran, becoming hazy, unfocused. It was as if he wasn't in control of himself, as if his thoughts and actions were no longer his own. His mind snapped back as he felt the force pushing on his throat, saw Nui jamming her second hand into his shoulder, forcing him violently to the ground. Her knee was quickly on his chest, making his breath come in shallow and ragged.

"BREATH MALKERU! BREATH!" Nui screamed into his face, her Sharingan spinning wildly.

"BREATH NOW!"

Malkeru obeyed, taking in as many short shallow breaths as he could. As his anger subsided, his vision began to slowly return to normal, his body seemed to untense and his depressed, scared demeanor seemed to return. "S-sorry Nui-senpai..." Malkeru averted her eyes, he seemed ashamed.

Clais, on the other hand, had a look of pure shock on his face, almost fear. His eyes were wide, his mouth slightly agape, and you can feel the tension rolling off of him. _'He...he was so fast...how did he do that..?' _Clais thought to himself, realizing what Malkeru was trying to do.

"That's enough for me! You all pass!" Nui said, trying to hold back the fear in her voice. She had seen Malkeru's eyes before she slammed him into the ground, they weren't his normal charcoal eyes. They were deep, crimson red, and filled with hate. A single black slit ran down the center of them, creating a beast like pupil. Nui had studied enough books on Jinchuriki to know what that meant. The Kyuubi was breaking past the seal.


End file.
